Family at Last
by Maeve of Winter
Summary: Johnny and Ben decide to start raising a family together. Kidfic, Johnny/Ben, Johnny mpreg.
1. Chapter 1

"You know, I've always liked diners," Johnny remarked as they sat down at the table and the waitress handed them their menus. "Sue worked at one when she was high school. I was only twelve, so when practice was over for the night, I'd go over there and hang out until her shift was finished."

"You know, Matchstick, I wonder about your judgement on a lotta things, but this ain't one of 'em," Ben replied fondly. "Somethin' chamin' about diners, you know? Like a little slice of Americana. And there's no better place to get breakfast, either."

Johnny and Ben were in San Diego, finally free after days of merchandising negotiations. Now that they had finished, in a short while they would go to rendezvous with Sue and Reed for some interdimensional exploration, but right now their main concentration was their meal.

To Ben's relief, most of the customers left them alone apart from a few wide-eyed stares when they first walked in. But one in particular, girl who looked perhaps sixteen, kept glancing back over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of them, before turning back to the two other occupants of the booth, a pair of little boys that shared her sleek dark hair and bronze complexion.

Finally, just before the waitress delivered their breakfast, the girl rose from her table and approached them.

"I'm so sorry to bother you," the girl began, looking very nervous and self-conscious. "I know you're just trying to eat breakfast. But my little brothers wanted to know if we could get a picture together? When you're finished eating, of course," she added hurriedly.

"'Course not," Ben said genially. "Send them over right now. We don't mind." Out of all the people who stared at him, little kids bothered him the least. They were too young to know any better and tended to be more curious than insensitive.

"Yeah, anything for a fan." Johnny gave her a charming smile, one that Ben had seen him use on various occasions to put both the public and the paparazzi at ease.

"Oh, thank you!" Obviously relieved, the girl motioned to the two little boys, and they rushed over, grinning like they'd just won the lottery.

After posing for a picture together, the girl shook Ben and Johnny's hands and quickly ushered the boys away, obviously not wanting to risk intruding on their breakfast. Johnny watched them go with a speculative expression on his face.

"Have you ever thought about kids?" he asked Ben casually.

Ben almost choked on his coffee. While he and Johnny had been dating for almost six months, the topic had never been brought up by either of them before.

"Uh, um, have you?" Ben deflected when he was able to answer.

"I mean, it's occurred to me as an option," Johnny responded with a shrug. "But it was never really something I seriously considered. I was just wondering if you had."

Searching for the right words, Ben didn't reply immediately. Since he was old enough to consider the idea, he always knew he wanted a family. While he'd only had one sibling, an older brother named Daniel, Ben had hero-worshipped him throughout his childhood and thought he must have been the luckiest kid in the world to be related to someone as incredible as him. And when Daniel died when Ben was eight years old, abruptly killed in a gang fight, Ben couldn't help but feel that a part of his spirit had been snuffed out alongside his brother's life.

But after the radiation accident, his dreams of a family had seemed impossible. He looked like a monster, a freak, and what was even worse, he felt like one. People gasped and stared at him on the street; there was nowhere he could go in public where he wasn't a walking sideshow attraction. When Debbie had silently placed her engagement ring on the ground and walked away without a moment of hesitation, she had not only shattered Ben's confidence, but also his hope of having a life together, of marriage and kids.

Now, here he was, discussing starting a family together with the one person he had absolutely never anticipated even dating. It was almost unbelievable.

"Yeah," Ben managed gruffly. "I'd like kids. You know, some day. But marriage first," he tacked on hurriedly, lest Johnny get the wrong idea.

Johnny smirked. "Yeah. I figured as much, with you being the old-fashioned type."

"Nothing wrong with that," Ben defended himself.

Johnny laid a placating hand on Ben's arm. "Of course not. Besides, our honeymoon would just give us more time to come up with a really good story about how we met." Johnny's blue eyes sparkled with mischief as he looked at Ben. "After all, we wouldn't want our precious kiddies to know how mean you were to me during flight school."

" 'Mean'?" Ben sputtered. "I was perfectly justified in every one of my decisions regardin' you, and you know it! You were the one bringin' in unauthorized civilians for parties and trying to impress them with NASA equipment you didn't even have access to!"

"You have to admit, it was pretty ingenious how I was able to keep sneaking into those restricted areas," Johnny said proudly. "You know, we should highlight that when we lie to our kids about our first meeting. After all, we want them to think it was our best qualities that helped us get together, so whatever we tell them should focus on how suave, cunning, and brilliant I am."

"I thought we wanted this story to be believable," Ben remarked.

"Oh, be quiet." Johnny arched an eyebrow. "And what exactly do you want our future kids to think about you?"

Our future kids. Johnny said it so easily, so casually, like it was completely typical subject. He treated the idea of having kids with Ben as if it were totally normal, as if Ben were totally normal.

"Jus' . . ." Ben trailed off, almost overwhelmed at the realization that his dream was still possible, that he could still have the family he'd always wanted. He moved to gently grasp Johnny's hand. "Jus' that I love them, and I love you."

"C'mon, big guy, could you get any sappier?" Johnny playfully rolled his eyes at him. But he also squeezed Ben's fingers in return.


	2. Chapter 2

Ben was awakened from slumber by the sounds of his infant daughter beginning to fret. Quickly but cautiously reaching for the baby monitor on the bedside table, he switched it off, trying his best to be gentle to avoid damaging the device. But he needn't have worried; like most of their home, the monitor was designed with his size and strength in mind, specifically suited to his needs.

As Ben rose from the bed to move to the nursery, he cast a glance at Johnny, checking that he hadn't been disturbed. Johnny appeared to be in a deep sleep, much to Ben's relief. The pregnancy had been a difficult one, and Johnny needed all of the rest he could get at the moment.

In the nursery, Danielle was feebly shifting and whimpering in her crib. Gently as he could, Ben reached inside and lifted her up, wrapping her in a blanket to protect her from the roughness of his stone-like skin. Once she was secure against him, Ben carried her out of the nursery and down the stairs, stopping by the kitchen briefly to retrieve a bottle from the fridge. Johnny had been too tired to breastfeed very much, and even if he had been in good health, Ben certainly wasn't going to interrupt his well-earned sleep.

He then proceeded into the living room to sit down with Dani on the couch, noting the time. It was just past six o'clock in the morning, which meant the sun would be rising in just a few minutes. They would have a fantastic view of the daybreak, and the privacy glass on the windows of their ultra modern home would filter out any glare. Though their house was hidden away in the mountains, both for reasons of security and solitude, the entire team had convened to outfit it with the same level of groundbreaking technology as the Baxter Building.

While both Ben and Johnny missed the pulse and energy of the city occasionally, the two of them agreed their new home would be best for their small but growing family. Though he had been raised in New York City and lived there almost all his life, whenever Ben had thought of settling down, he had dreamed of bringing up his kids some place where they could be close to nature, where they could go hiking, biking, and fishing.

Yet after the cosmic incident, he had wondered if he would ever be able to settle down, if someone would ever want the hulking golem of a man he now was as a husband. Part of the reason the alterations to his appearance had so devastated him was not only because of his complete loss of anonymity and the sheer freakishness of his new self, but because his hopes of having a family one day then seemed entirely unattainable.

But he had found that someone after all, someone who was probably one of the least likely people on earth he ever could have pictured being married to.

And after everything, in spite of all of the chaos and confusion and pain in his life, here Ben sat with a child who was named in honor of Ben's fallen brother. His child and Johnny's, the first of what he hoped would be several.

"Morning, sunshine," a familiar voice drawled, and Ben glanced up to find Johnny standing in the doorway.

Ben studied his husband as the latter ambled over to the couch. Energy and purpose usually punctuated all of Johnny's movements, but now his pace was slowed, his weariness evident. Dark circles rimmed his usually bright blue eyes that were atypically dull and tired, and his handsome face was drawn and pale. His slim but toned physique was now bordering on unhealthily thin, as he had lately been too fatigued to sustain much of an appetite. Seeing the obvious toll the pregnancy had taken on Johnny's body, Ben was struck by guilt and worry.

"Shouldn't you be restin'?" He asked in concern. "It's awful early for you to be up, Matchstick. Why don't you go back to sleep?"

"And miss the chance to show you how the sunrise pales in comparison to my good looks? I don't think so." In spite of his ill and worn appearance, Johnny kept his tone light-hearted. He gingerly settled on the couch, the movement clearly taking an effort.

"I think what you really mean is that we'll get to see how the mountains look small compared to your ego." Even as he guffawed, Ben reached one arm around Johnny's shoulders to draw him in close, holding Dani firmly in the other, taking care to be gentle with the both of them. "Talk to me, Johnny. How you doin', really?"

"Tired, but remember that Reed, Sue, and the other doctors said I should expect to feel that way for the first month." Johnny carefully stroked the arm that Ben was using to hold Dani. "You're so good with her," he murmured fondly.

Ben appreciated the words more than Johnny could ever know. Throughout Johnny's pregnancy, he had been preoccupied with worry the entire time. When he wasn't stressed in regards Johnny's health, which had declined as Johnny's due date approached, various concerns had flitted through his mind as he panicked that he wouldn't be a good father. He'd been paranoid his appearance would scare their baby, that with his enhanced strength, size, and skin he would somehow end up hurting their child. It wasn't until he held his infant daughter in his arms, Johnny still in surgery, that Ben finally felt confidence in himself to be a parent, even as he worried for his husband's well being.

The memory brought Ben to briefly tighten his grip on Johnny's shoulder. "We should ask Reed and Sue to come out here so they can check you out again. It don't hurt to be careful. Besides, you know the two of them would love another chance to gush over Dani." The first child to be born into their family, all of them doted upon Dani, but especially her aunt and uncle.

Nuzzling against Ben's cheek, Johnny pressed a kiss to his jaw. "We'll talk later, okay? Let's just enjoy the moment for now."

"All right," Ben agreed, and they sat together as a family, holding their young daughter, watching a new day begin as the sun rose into the sky.


	3. Chapter 3

With a sigh of contentment, Ben watched his young son and daughter play with Lockjaw in the vast front yard of their mountain home. Surrounded by invisible barriers that would shield any potential attack and block any oncoming foe, the meadow was an ideal place for the kids to play. Right now, they were tossing an LED bouncing ball between them. More often than not they overestimated the distance, forcing the other to scramble after the ball as it rolled away. Ben couldn't hold back his laughter at their antics; watching his children, he couldn't help but wonder if Johnny and Sue had ever played together in the same way.

"All right, kids, ten more minutes!" Ben called to them.

Five-year-old Dani quickly objected. "But you said we could stay up until Daddy got home! You promised!" With her long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, she appeared almost identical to the photos of Sue from when she was a little girl. And her stubborn streak, Ben was quick to assure others, was one hundred percent Storm as well.

"You promised," four-year-old Jake echoed. Bearing close resemblance to his sister, he looked like a younger version of Johnny. Much to Ben's relief, though, he didn't show any signs of the same wild streak. Truly, Ben loved his husband, but he wasn't sure the multiverse could handle more than one version of Johnny Storm prime.

"I did," Ben conceded, casting a searching glance upward for any sign of Johnny's fiery form. "But if he doesn't show up in the next ten minutes, you'll have to go to bed anyway. You don't want to be too tired to play tomorrow, do you?"

"No," his children chorused.

"Then it's bedtime in ten," Ben told them.

Ben could not suppress a stab of concern at Johnny's late arrival; when there had been reports of one of the Mole Man's giant monsters rampaging through Lower Manhattan, Johnny had left immediately, determined to show that even though he and Ben no longer lived in the city, they still cared about its occupants. They took turns going out to fight crime now, with one of them attending to whatever disaster while the other stayed home with the kids. And though Ben knew Johnny was more than capable, it never felt right for Johnny to go off on his own.

"There's Dad!" Jake shouted, pointing up at the sky, and sure enough, Johnny's fiery silhouette was rocketing toward them. The shields didn't retract for an instant, but nor did they heed him. The sensors detected Johnny's genetic code, allowing him to slip through the barriers without any problem. He landed gracefully on the grass, powering off his flames from feet to head in order to ensure he didn't leave any scorch marks on their lawn.

"Dad!" Both of their children rushed over to him excitedly, and Johnny didn't hesitate to grab Dani in his arms and spin her around. Setting her down, he reached for Jake, tossing him up into the air and catching him again.

"How are my two favorite hellraisers?" Johnny asked as he placed Jake back on the ground, affectionately ruffling the hair of both of his children. "You behaved for Daddy, I hope?"

Ambling over them, Ben let out a snort. "Yeah. They behaved just as well as you did for me back when I was your CO in flight school."

"Keeping up the family tradition, then," Johnny said with a smirk, standing on his tiptoes to give Ben a kiss on the cheek. "And how are you?"

"Glad to have you home," Ben replied honestly, putting an arm around Johnny's shoulders and drawing him close. "You had me worked up when you took longer than you said."

"Spider-Man needed some help with the clean-up," Johnny said easily, giving Lockjaw a pat on the head before the dog ran off to play with the children again. "Besides, I wasn't all that late, Rockhead." He gave Ben a fond nudge with his elbow. "You worry too much."

"Someone's gotta do your worrying for you if you're not gonna," Ben retorted, but his tone was more doting than exasperated.

"I went to the city today because we have to make an effort to show we still prioritize the team," Johnny reminded him. "I don't want anyone saying we abandoned the public's welfare to concentrate solely on our own family."

"I know," Ben said. Gently, he pulled Johnny to stand in front of him, keeping one hand on his husband's back and carefully placing the other on his stomach to feel its slight swell. "But you're carrying our kid, Johnny. I know you're not helpless, but I don't want you taking risks while you're pregnant. Especially not when you've had such a difficult time in the past," he added worriedly, remembering how exhausted and ill Johnny had been following both Dani and Jake's births. It had taken him months to recover from each one, and while Ben had done his best to care for his husband and children during those times, it had deeply disturbed him to see Johnny so completely drained of his usual spirit and vitality.

"I'll be fine," Johnny reassured him. "C'mon, Ben. I'll probably be on total bed rest in just a few months. Let me have my freedom while I can."

"Hmph," was Ben's only response as he inwardly vowed to thoroughly discuss this topic with Johnny at a better time. "What do you say we get our little rascals to bed, huh?"

"Good idea," Johnny replied, hooking himself under Ben's arm as he raised his voice to call to their children. "Danielle! Jacob! Time for bed!" As their children straggled forward, dragging their feet and complaining, Johnny turned back to Ben, reaching up to caress his jaw. "After we read them a bedtime story and make sure they've settled down, how about you try to light my fire, huh?"

Ben chuckled, giving Johnny a warm kiss before scooping up their children and carrying them into the house, the front door retracting as it identified him. "I don't know about fire, Matchstick, but you can be sure I'll show you a rockslide."


End file.
